The primary application of this invention is to support the charging (or discharging, as the case may be) of electric vehicles; however, the teachings of the invention will also apply to fueling of vehicles propelled by liquid fuels. Therefore, while the focus of the description of this invention will relate more towards electric vehicles, the alternative application to liquid fueled vehicles should not be neglected.
Within the past decade there has been an increased awareness of the impact that carbon dioxide and methane emissions have on the earth's environment, and society has responded to the resultant global warming threat by adopting, where possible, clean energy generation practices and policies. In addition to a focus on renewable energy production, we have taken steps to curb excessive use of our fossil fuel energy resources. Consumers have engaged in energy efficiency and demand response programs so as to maximize the resources that are available to us.
Along with the shift in consumer sentiment (concerning the source of and use of electric energy), consumers have come to accept electric vehicles (EVs) as a realistic alternative to vehicles that are propelled by fossil fuels. Electric vehicles can function on the use of renewable energy, and they substantially reduce harmful exhaust pollutants that are emitted into the atmosphere.
One of the more salient concerns of potential EV owners is the phenomena known as “range anxiety”. EVs are currently capable of traveling up to 300 miles on a full charge, but the time required to acquire a full recharge is a major concern (which may be several hours), as is the availability of appropriate charging equipment. The “range anxiety” of EV owners may be described as the concern of being stranded—if not indefinitely, then at least for several hours.
Still, for those drivers that tend to travel less than 200 miles on a given day and have a several hour period subsequent to traveling where the EV can be recharged, the EV can be a practical mode of transportation. However, for those instances where the EV owner may need to travel beyond a safe zone, a more wide-spread EV charging network may be necessary for the EV to appeal to the masses.
In addition to the need for a wide-spread charging network, the charging infrastructure equipment itself must be capable of engaging with the subject EV. Presently, while there are a variety of different charging connectors that are being utilized for a variety of differing EV platforms, attempts are being made to standardize the charging connectors and the accompanying receptacles for electric vehicles.
Furthermore, developments are being made to automate the charging of electric vehicles. Robotic technologies are being utilized to aid in the automation of EV charging, in part offering an added benefit of assisting physically impaired individuals to engage the electrical charging connector with a charging receptacle. Intellectual property protections have been granted to: Hoffman (U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,999); Lara (U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,298); Wilson (U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,500); Hayashi (U.S. Pat. No. 6,157,162) and Hollar (U.S. Pat. No. 7,999,506), while several additional applicants are pursuing variants of an automated or robotic charging system, including Haddad (Appl #20110254504); Cornish (Appl #20120233062); Bonny (Appl #20120286730); and Gao (Appl #20130076902). While each of the aforementioned intellectual property and applications involves the use of robotics in some manner, the introduction of standardized charging apparatus that facilitates the connection of the charging equipment will be necessary. In addition, the implementation of the teachings of this invention will be necessary in order to take full advantage of the features and benefits offered by the automated charging equipment and standardized connectors. To wit, the automated connection of charging equipment to an EV will continue to require human intervention in order to gain access to the vehicle receptacle absent the benefit of this invention.